Abstract: A hollow ceramic fiber wick is used for combustion of diesel or other liquid fuels in a small combustor. Fuel and air are provided to the hollow ceramic wick by a positive-displacement fuel pump and a positive-displacement air blower driven by a common microprocessor-controlled driveshaft. A first portion of the air is provided directly to the wick while a second portion of the air is communicated by passageways outwardly concentric from the wick holder to a swirler chamber near the tip of the wick within the combustion chamber.

Abstract: The apparatus includes a resilient mounting for the damping of magnetic bearings. This mount may include a resilient material placed between the magnetic stator and the fixed structure to damp vibrations of the stator induced by variations in the position of the shaft and rotor of the bearing. Alternatively, the resilient material may be placed between successive concentric magnetic rings of the stator. The resilient material is typically an elastomer or a woven metal material with both stiffness and damping properties. The mounting also may consist of separate spring and damping elements. The spring elements can include thin rods or bars which provide both alignment and stiffness. The damping element may consist of a resilient material or a device to provide damping through viscous or mechanical friction configurations.

Abstract: A distributed optical fiber sensor for sensing physical characteristics of an object, such as strain, includes several discontinuities, each pair of discontinuities being placed at one specific location on the object. A laser beam is past through the fiber and the discontinuities generate components from the beams having parameters indicative of the respective physical characteristics. The components combine in a composite beam which is detected outside the beam and separated into the respective components.

Abstract: The damper arrangement is operated in high temperature applications, such as load and speed environments such as found in turboengines. The damper arrangement includes damper pads which are laterally urged against damping elements forming a shearing zone therebetween. The shearing zone is lubricated with solid dry powder lubricant. The damper pads include a circumferential wave or a multi-partial arc configuration formed by radial slots with inwardly tapering radial bevels and lateral bevels adjacent to the radial slots to enhance the circulation of the powder lubricant in response to nutating motion between the damper pad and the damper element.

Abstract: The present invention relates to apparatus for stabilizing the operation of rotational machinery, particularly machinery which uses magnetic bearings. Accelerometers sense various vibrations within the machinery. The outputs of the accelerometers are analyzed by a Fast Fourier Transform algorithm and multiplied by an array of influence coefficients to calculate desired stabilizing forces to be applied to the rotating machinery. Compensating analog voltage signals are generated in accordance therewith and transmitted to magnetic control coils within the rotating machinery.

Abstract: A three dimensional imaging system having a diode laser and collimator along with a video camera and digital circuitry wherein when the light from the laser is collimated and hits the surface of an object with the reflected light images picked up by the video camera and the centroid location of each intersection is interpolated translating two dimensional pixels into three dimension coordinates.

Abstract: The apparatus pertains to an electromagnetic reciprocating machine with a stator having end portions forming axially spaced-apart pole pieces, the stator further including a coil cavity. A plunger reciprocates within the stator and includes a central portion and two end portions. The magnetic strength of the end portions is different from the magnetic strength of the central portion.

Abstract: A compressor with a flexible diaphragm used as the pumping element such as for Stirling coolers or pulse-tube refrigerators, said compressor further including a sensor to monitor the position of the diaphragm and a control circuit for maintaining the diaphragm position in a preselected range to avoid contact between the diaphragm and the rest of the compressor. The compressor also includes an expansion member for compensating for the thermal expansion of the working fluid of the compressor.

Abstract: The method and apparatus for balancing an object dynamically includes rotating the object continuously, depositing material on the object and melting the surface of the object and the material to form a metallurgical bond. The amount of material to be added is calculated using influence coefficients. The additive material may be either in form of a powder entrained in a gas stream, a solid rod or in capsules.

Abstract: In a free piston engine, to reduce dynamic loads on the reciprocating elements caused by a time varying pressure gradient across the gas bearing and close clearance seals provided therein, drain galleries are incorporated at the ends of the gas bearings to isolate the same, and circumferentially spaced grooves are incorporated in the close clearance seal region.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an active mount system in which a vibration sensor such as a force gauge or an accelerometer senses vibrational forces transmitted through a resilient mount by a load such as a machine. The invention further includes a digital narrow-band least mean square filter that receives a sinusoid synchronous with the rotating machinery and an error signal from the load cell and generates a corrective signal to be amplified and transmitted to the electromagnet which supplies an attenuating force to the resilient mount in response to the signal. As an alternative, a wide frequency range control can be realized by the use of a wide frequency range, high gain amplifier and multi-filter phase compensation circuitry to generate the corrective force signal which is amplified and transmitted to the electromagnet.

Abstract: A Free-Piston Stirling cycle system includes a cylinder arranged within a sealed, pressurized housing. A power piston is arranged for reciprocation within or about one region of the cylinder, and a light-weight displacer, having a selected diameter is arranged for reciprocation within or about another region of the cylinder and defining with the cylinder a compression space and an expansion space. The power piston also defines with the cylinder, a gas spring space. A gas spring piston of preselected diameter couples the displacer with this gas spring space to establish a relative gas spring which generates a force to reciprocate the displacer by the relative motion between the displacer and the power piston. In accordance with this present invention the ratio of the diameter of the gas spring piston to the diameter of the displacer is made to be at least 0.50.

Abstract: The invention relates to the improved combustion of fuel in a combustion chamber of a stirling engine and the like by dividing combustion into primary and secondary combustion zones through the use of a diverter plate.

Abstract: A powder-lubricated piston is disclosed for diesel engines, particularly adiabatic diesel engines and coal-water slurry fueled diesel engines. Rings are provided for the piston which flex in response to combustion within the combustion chamber.

Abstract: The apparatus uses an influence coefficient calculating method to allow a rotor supported on active magnetic bearings to rotate about an inertial axis which, due to possible imbalances in the rotor, may be different from the geometric axis of the rotor, without transmitting imbalance forces to the housing of the active magnetic bearings.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system employing an active magnetic bearing for controlling and isolating rotor vibrations. The invention includes an active magnetic bearing having a stator, an armature and an inner bearing located within the central bore of the armature. The active magnetic bearing has dynamic stiffness sufficiently low with respect to the inner bearing so that the inner bearing tracks shaft motion in an oscillatory manner while magnetically suspended during flotation of the active magnetic bearing. The inner bearing can be either a fluid film bearing or a rolling element bearing. The system allows for continued operation in the event of failure of the active magnetic bearing.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for separating volatile organic compounds from a stream of process gas. An internal combustion engine drives a plurality of refrigeration systems, an electrical generator and an air compressor. The exhaust of the internal combustion engine drives an inert gas subsystem and a heater for the gas. A water jacket captures waste heat from the internal combustion engine and drives a second heater for the gas and possibly an additional refrigeration system for the supply of chilled water.The refrigeration systems mechanically driven by the internal combustion engine effect the precipitation of volatile organic compounds from the stream of gas.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a Stirling free piston cryocooler in which the drive assembly is arranged in an in-line opposed piston arrangement. The displacer piston assembly is nested within the power piston assembly. In one embodiment the thermodynamic assembly is connected to the drive mechanism in a tee arrangement so that the opposed cryocooler pistons share a common expansion space. In another embodiment the thermodynamic assembly is connected to the drive mechanism in a double split tee arrangement with the thermodynamic components remotely located from the expansion and compression spaces and connected thereto by flexible tubes.

Abstract: A magnetic bearing rotating structure includes a rotor magnetically supported in a housing by a magnetic bearing. A back-up bearing arrangement is used to resist impact on the rotor, including a fixed bumper bearing for resisting a sudden impact, and an auxiliary bearing for rotatably supporting the rotor while the magnetic bearing resumes operation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an active mount system in which a vibration sensor such as a force gauge or an accelerometer senses vibrational forces transmitted through a resilient mount by a load such as a machine. The invention further includes a control signalling device that processes and transmits the sensed signal to a force transducer such as an electromagnet which supplies an attenuating force to the resilient mount in response to the signal.